1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, particularly, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device with a supporting body.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, thinner and smaller semiconductor dies have been required for increasing the packaging density. For satisfying this, it is necessary to thin a semiconductor substrate made of silicon or the like. However, the thin substrate can not be moved in a manufacturing process since it warps or breaks due to its low strength. Therefore, generally, a supporting body such as a glass substrate or a protection tape is attached on one surface of the semiconductor substrate, and the other surface where the supporting body is not attached is thinned by grinding it with a grinder or the like.
FIGS. 15 and 16 are schematic cross-sectional views showing a process of removing a supporting body in a conventional method of manufacturing a semiconductor device. As shown in FIG. 15, a pad electrode 101 made of aluminum or the like is formed on a front surface of a semiconductor substrate 100 made of silicon or the like with a first insulation film 102 such as a silicon oxide film interposed therebetween. A passivation film 103 such as a silicon nitride film covers a portion of the pad electrode 101. A glass substrate 104 as a supporting body is further attached on the front surface of the semiconductor substrate 100 with an adhesive layer 105 interposed therebetween. A plurality of penetrating holes 106 for supplying a solvent for the adhesive layer 105 is formed in the glass substrate 104. A film-type protection tape may be used as the supporting body instead of the glass substrate 104 or a rigid substrate made of metal, resin, or the like.
A via hole 107 is formed penetrating the semiconductor substrate 100 from its back surface to the pad electrode 101. A second insulation film 108 such as a silicon oxide film is formed on a sidewall of this via hole 107 and the back surface of the semiconductor substrate 100.
Furthermore, a barrier layer 109 and a penetrating electrode 110 electrically connected to the pad electrode 101 are formed in the via hole 107, and a wiring layer 111 connecting with the penetrating electrode 110 is extended on the back surface of the semiconductor substrate 100. A protection layer 112 made of a solder resist or the like is formed covering the second insulation film 108, the wiring layer 111, and the penetrating electrode 110, an opening is formed in a predetermined region of the protection layer 112, and a ball-shaped conductive terminal 113 is formed in this opening.
Then, as shown in FIG. 16, a dicing tape 115 is attached on the back surface of the semiconductor substrate 100, and a solvent (e.g. alcohol or acetone) for the adhesive layer 105 is supplied from the penetrating holes 106 to remove the glass substrate 104. Then, the semiconductor substrate is cut along a dicing line DL with a dicing blade or a laser and individual semiconductor dies are separated from each other.
When the film-type protection tape is used instead of the glass substrate 104, the protection tape (supporting body) is removed after the dicing, by, for example, peeling it with an adhesive tape (see FIG. 7 etc. in the Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-270676).
The relevant technologies are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. 2005-191550, 2002-270676, and 2001-185519.
However, in the conventional method of manufacturing the semiconductor device described above, since the fine penetrating holes 106 or grooves as paths for supplying the solvent for the adhesive layer 105 are formed in the glass substrate 104 as the supporting body, there is a problem that the manufacturing process is complex and the cost is high. Using such a supporting body formed with the solvent supply paths also causes undesired influence on the process of manufacturing the semiconductor device, such as outgassing or infiltration of a corrosive substance at the paths. Furthermore, the strength of the supporting body lowers by forming the solvent supply paths, and the supporting body may suffer mechanical damage.
Furthermore, it is difficult to check the metal contamination state of the solvent supply paths such as the penetrating holes 106 or the grooves for recycling the supporting body.
Although the film-type protection tape may be used as the supporting body instead of the rigid supporting body made of glass, quartz, ceramic, metal, resin, or the like formed with the solvent supply paths such as the penetrating holes 106 or the grooves, the conventional method of removing the protection tape has a problem of causing a mechanical defect in the thinned semiconductor device when the protection tape is removed. Using the protection tape as the supporting body also causes a problem that the thermal resistance of the protection tape needs to be taken into account in the manufacturing process.
Therefore, the invention is directed to simplification of the process of manufacturing the semiconductor device with the supporting body, reduction of the manufacturing cost, and enhancement of the reliability and yield of the semiconductor device. The invention is also directed to realization of the method of manufacturing the semiconductor device suitable for thinning and miniaturizing the semiconductor device.